The present invention relates to systems and methods for providing online games, including trading card games played on a computer, and other mobile devices. Disclosed embodiments may find particular applicability with games that allow user to acquire rights to digital tokens that have different functionality across a spectrum of computer-implemented games, and with computer-implemented games that combine variable-use digital tokens with other standard gaming tools and constructs, such as a standard 52 card deck.
In most games that use tokens, such as trading cards, the tokens are limited to a set of functions defined by a single game. An exception to this would be U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,458, which describes a system including “persistent playing object” that may use generic attributes of an object to map to game-specific attributes.
Most card games involve the use of a standard deck, such as a standard 52 card deck. Some variations of a standard 52 card deck involve having a wild Joker, or other wildcards, that can become other cards. Typically, other card games that don't use a standard 52 card deck, such as trading card games, have an established variety of different card types, which may be provided by a game manufacturer. For example, U.S. Pat. No. RE37,957 provides a game with energy and effect cards. The effect (spell) cards specify what the card will do, while the energy (mana) cards are required to give power, with enough energy cards, to be able to use the effect card.
It would be desirable to have a new card game that builds on the familiarity of the standard 52 card deck, and includes expanded functionality and user participation through the use of digital tokens with unique features and cross-platform applicability, that may be, for example, assigned to individual users.